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The History Hour: Bungee jumping and the Benidorm boom

Discussion & Talk

History of travel

22/06/2024 GMT

Bungee jumping and the Benidorm boom

BBC World Service - The History Hour, Bungee jumping and the Benidorm boom

How holidays evolved from luxury cruises to exotic locations

The first commercial bungee jump in New Zealand, how low-cost flights and luxury cruises revolutionised travel, and how Cancún and Benidorm transformed into holiday hotspots.

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service on the history of travel. Our guest is Dr. Susan Houge Mackenzie, Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago in New Zealand. 

First, we'll hear from the man responsible for the first commercial bungee jump. 

Then, the pioneers of low-cost transatlantic flights and luxury cruises describe how they revolutionised travel. 

Finally, we hear the remarkable stories of how Cancún and Benidorm transformed into holiday hotspots, involving General Franco, bikinis and excommunication.

Contributors:
Dr. Susan Houge Mackenzie - Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago in New Zealand.
AJ Hackett - pioneer of the world's first commercial bungee jump.
Edda Helgason - daughter of Sigurdur Helgason who launched Loftleioir Icelandic, the first budget transatlantic airline.
Hans Indridason - ran Loftleioir Icelandic's sales and marketing department.
Tor Stangeland - Captain of Sovereign of the Seas cruise ship.
Juan Enríquez - son of Antonio Enríquez Savignac, who turned Cancún into a world-beating tourist destination.
Pedro Zaragoza - former Mayor of Benidorm.

(Photo: Bungee jumping. Credit: Getty Images)

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